This month in Bio-Med Roundup:
- Green et al. and Burbano et al., respectively, presented a draft sequence of the Neandertal genome and an array-based method for sequencing target regions of Neandertal DNA.
- Molar et al. and Dunoyer et al. showed that small double-stranded interfering RNAs move between plant cells and can direct DNA methylation.
- Gregor et al. described how aggregation of social amoeba is guided by emergent rhythmic behavior arising from the stochastic pulsing of individual cells with a chemical cue.
- Peleg et al. reported that altered histone acetylation is associated with age-dependent memory impairment in mice.
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CELL BIOLOGY
Sequential Checkpoints Govern Substrate Selection During Cotranslational Protein Targeting (7 May 2010)
X. Zhang et al.
Protein cargo is monitored at several points during membrane translocation to improve targeting fidelity.
Dynamic Ca2+-Dependent Stimulation of Vesicle Fusion by Membrane-Anchored Synaptotagmin 1 (7 May 2010)
H.-K. Lee et al.
A synaptic vesicle protein must be membrane-anchored to stimulate fusion in vitro at physiological Ca2+ concentrations.
A Global Protein Kinase and Phosphatase Interaction Network in Yeast (21 May 2010)
A. Breitkreutz et al.
Phosphorylation reactions in budding yeast reveal the regulatory architecture of a fundamental cellular control system.
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mTORC1-Mediated Cell Proliferation, But Not Cell Growth, Controlled by the 4E-BPs (28 May 2010)
R. J. O. Dowling et al.
Control of cell proliferation and cell size is separately regulated in mammals.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Small Silencing RNAs in Plants Are Mobile and Direct Epigenetic Modification in Recipient Cells (14 May 2010)
A. Molnar et al.
Small RNA Duplexes Function as Mobile Silencing Signals Between Plant Cells (14 May 2010)
P. Dunoyer et al.
Small double-stranded interfering RNAs move between cells and can direct DNA methylation.
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Genome-Wide Evolutionary Analysis of Eukaryotic DNA Methylation (14 May 2010)
A. Zemach et al.
Analysis of DNA methylation in 17 species suggests a path for the evolution of this epigenetic mark.
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Adaptive Evolution of an sRNA That Controls Myxococcus Development (21 May 2010)
Y.-T. N. Yu et al.
Mutation of a small noncoding RNA drives adaptive evolution in a social bacterium.
Five-Vertebrate ChIP-seq Reveals the Evolutionary Dynamics of Transcription Factor Binding (21 May 2010)
D. Schmidt et al.
Binding of two liver-specific transcription factors in several vertebrate species reveals complex regulatory evolution.
Genome-Wide Kinetics of Nucleosome Turnover Determined by Metabolic Labeling of Histones (28 May 2010)
R. B. Deal et al.
Differences between active and silent chromatin states are critical for maintaining the epigenome.
BIOCHEMISTRY
Reconstitution of Outer Membrane Protein Assembly from Purified Components (14 May 2010)
C. L. Hagan et al.
Assembly of a β-barrel membrane protein in a cell-free system does not require added energy.
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The Onset of Collective Behavior in Social Amoebae (21 May 2010)
T. Gregor et al.
Stochastic pulsing of individual cells plays a critical role in initiating cyclic adenosine monophosphate pulses.
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Structural Insights into the Assembly and Function of the SAGA Deubiquitinating Module (21 May 2010)
N. L. Samara et al.
Structures give insight into how a regulator of eukaryotic gene expression achieves one of its chromatin-modifying functions.
Plectasin, a Fungal Defensin, Targets the Bacterial Cell Wall Precursor Lipid II (28 May 2010)
T. Schneider et al.
Some metazoan and fungal host defense peptides are specific inhibitors of bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis.
GENETICS
A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome (7 May 2010)
R. E. Green et al.
Gene flow has occurred from Neandertals to humans of Eurasian descent, but not to Africans.
Targeted Investigation of the Neandertal Genome by Array-Based Sequence Capture (7 May 2010)
H. A. Burbano et al.
Array capture of Neandertal DNA identifies amino acid substitutions that occurred after the split between humans and Neandertals.
A Catalog of Reference Genomes from the Human Microbiome (21 May 2010)
The Human Microbiome Jumpstart Reference Strains Consortium
Standardized protocols and methods are being established for large-scale sequencing of the microorganisms living on humans.
MICROBIOLOGY
Cross-Reacting Antibodies Enhance Dengue Virus Infection in Humans (7 May 2010)
W. Dejnirattisai et al.
Variable maturation of a dengue viral antigen results in incomplete neutralization and promotes secondary pathology.
A Plant-Like Kinase in Plasmodium falciparum Regulates Parasite Egress from Erythrocytes (14 May 2010)
J. D. Dvorin et al.
A calcium-dependent protein kinase is essential for blood-stage proliferation of the human malaria parasite.
pH Sensing by Intracellular Salmonella Induces Effector Translocation (21 May 2010)
X.-J. Yu et al.
Intravacuolar Salmonella sense host cytosolic pH, resulting in degradation of a regulatory complex and effector translocation.
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NEUROSCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY
Washing Away Postdecisional Dissonance (7 May 2010)
S. W. S. Lee and N. Schwarz
The act of scrubbing clean one’s hands also removes the tendency to justify prior decisions.
Altered Histone Acetylation Is Associated with Age-Dependent Memory Impairment in Mice (7 May 2010)
S. Peleg et al.
Deregulated histone acetylation may represent an early biomarker of age-dependent cognitive decline.
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Molecular Identity of Dendritic Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels (14 May 2010)
A. Lorincz and Z. Nusser
Freeze-fracture methods allow a numerical estimate of Na+ channel density in different compartments of CA1 pyramidal cells.
Fairness and the Development of Inequality Acceptance (28 May 2010)
I. Almås et al.
As children progress to adolescence, their sense of fairness changes from pure equality to proportionality based on merit.
MEDICINE
Coadministration of a Tumor-Penetrating Peptide Enhances the Efficacy of Cancer Drugs (21 May 2010)
K. N. Sugahara et al.
Anticancer drugs are more effective in mice when they are injected with a peptide that helps the drugs penetrate the tumor.
Prion Strain Mutation Determined by Prion Protein Conformational Compatibility and Primary Structure (28 May 2010)
R. C. Angers et al.
The stability of two related strains is influenced by a species-specific amino acid difference in deer and elk prions.
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Cyclooxygenase-2 Controls Energy Homeostasis in Mice by de Novo Recruitment of Brown Adipocytes (28 May 2010)
A. Vegiopoulos et al.
In mice, the development of energy-burning brown fat is regulated by an enzyme that is critical for prostaglandin synthesis.
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IMMUNOLOGY
Induction of Lymphoidlike Stroma and Immune Escape by Tumors That Express the Chemokine CCL21 (7 May 2010)
J. D. Shields et al.
An immunotolerant microenvironment driven by chemokine expression contributes to tumor growth and spread.
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Neural Crest–Derived Pericytes Promote Egress of Mature Thymocytes at the Corticomedullary Junction (28 May 2010)
M. A. Zachariah and J. G. Cyster
Cells that ensheath blood vessels promote exit of the developing T lymphocytes from the thymus.
PLANT SCIENCE
Horizontal Gene Transfer by the Parasitic Plant Striga hermonthica (28 May 2010)
S. Yoshida et al.
Genes have transferred from a crop plant to an evolutionarily divergent parasitic weed.
Mirid Bug Outbreaks in Multiple Crops Correlated with Wide-Scale Adoption of Bt Cotton in China (28 May 2010)
Y. Lu et al.
The use of more specific pesticides results in the resurgence of nontargeted insect populations.
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